Car Accident Near Fayetteville HS Leads to Two Arrests

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Car Accident Near Fayetteville HS Leads to Two Arrests

Two Fayetteville men are facing aggravated assault charges after police said they threatened occupants of a car with a knife after the two cars had collided pulling out of the Fayetteville High School senior parking lot Friday afternoon.

Michael Gordon, 23, and Cody Poe, 18, were booked into the Washington County Detention Center on Friday night and remain in jail, according to the Sheriff’s Department website. The website said Gordon has a bond of $7,500 for aggravated assault and also faces two misdemeanor driving charges, while Poe has the same bond amount for aggravated assault, which qualifies as a probation violation for a previous conviction.

A preliminary police report said officers responded to a report of an armed man at the door of another car. When officers arrived at intersection of Garland and Buchanan avenues, one asked Gordon where the knife and he responded that it was in the back seat of his car, a grey Infiniti G35, the report said, but later denied there was a weapon.

Gordon told officers that another had pulled out of the parking lot, hit his car and then drove off, the report said. When Gordon caught up to the other car, he said he and Poe ran up and began to bang on the windows, the report said.

The report said a police officer searched Gordon and a school resource officer searched Poe, who was identified as Gordon’s passenger, but no weapons were found on them. Kelley Smith, the driver of a black Chevy Tahoe, said he had collided with Gordon’s Infiniti when he attempted to pull out of the high school parking lot, the report said.

Smith said when he attempted to exchange information with Gordon, he began “freaking out” so Smith got back into his car and drove away because he was scared Gordon would hurt him, the report said. The report said Gordon chased Smith’s car and, when the two cars stopped for traffic, both Gordon and Poe ran to the Tahoe and began to beat on the windows.

Smith and his passenger, Evan Smith, told officers Poe had a long black-handled sheathed knife in his hand and yelled, “step out of the car and let’s finish this.” While Kelley Smith attempted to calm Poe, Evan Smith ran back to Fayetteville High School to get help, the report said.

The officers wrote in the report that both Smiths appeared to be scared of Gordon and Poe because “the men may retaliate, due to their reputation.” The report blacked out the Smiths’ ages and did not clarify whether they were related.

The report said officers found a black-handled blade in a nine-inch sheath in the back seat of Gordon’s car. Poe told officers he did not have a knife in his hand but the report said he failed to explain how Kelley Smith could have accurately described the knife without having seen it.

In the report, “lengthy history” is written in the criminal history section for both Gordon and Poe. Gordon faces a charge of driving on a license that was suspended for driving while intoxicated.